Tottenham Hotspur Enter Race for Everton's Ndiaye
Tottenham Hotspur have muscled into the race for Everton star Ndiaye, turning an already heated transfer saga into a full-blown Premier League tug of war.
The North London club, already beyond the £300 million mark in this window, are refusing to put the brakes on their rebuild under Roberto De Zerbi. They have brought in Omar Marmoush and Savio from Manchester City to sharpen the attack, yet De Zerbi still wants one more wide forward to finish the job.
For weeks, Cody Gakpo looked like the primary target. That story has changed. Attention has swung firmly toward Ndiaye, the Senegal international who has lit up Goodison Park and drawn admiring glances from across the division, according to Foot Mercato.
And Tottenham are not alone.
City and Arsenal have been tracking the 26-year-old closely, setting up a three-way battle between clubs who all see him as a difference-maker in the final third. For City, he is viewed as a potential answer to recent departures in their attacking ranks. For Arsenal and Spurs, he represents both a weapon and a statement.
De Zerbi made no attempt to hide his desire for one last big move when he spoke on Friday.
"I didn’t expect a transfer window like we have done. I think we can do one player more in one specific position," he said. "Yesterday we went to dinner with the owners, Johan [Lange, sporting director] and Vinai [Venkatesham, chief executive] and we spoke about this. All of us are on the same page and a very good connection."
That admission underlines it: Tottenham are still in the market, still aggressive, still willing to push.
Ndiaye’s future has been a running storyline all summer. At one stage, he looked set for a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League, with a switch to Al-Hilal reportedly close before the player abruptly changed course. The U-turn kept him in the shop window for England’s elite.
His preference to stay in the Premier League has only intensified the chase. The problem for his suitors is Everton.
The Toffees hold all the cards. Ndiaye is tied to a contract on Merseyside until 2029, and while he has recently turned down a new deal, the club are under no immediate pressure to cash in. Their stance is clear: he will not leave cheaply.
Everton are understood to have slapped an £80 million valuation on their prized asset, a price tag designed to scare off opportunists and leave only the most determined bidders at the table.
David Moyes, speaking on Friday, struck a firm tone when asked about the speculation.
"We’re certainly not in a hurry to sell our best players, that’s for sure," the Everton manager said. "As far as I know, we’ve got nothing to be concerned about, we’ve had no contact from any club. Somebody told me we had contact with Al-Hilal during the summer, we had nothing from them."
So the picture is set: a wanted forward, three heavyweight bidders, and a selling club that insists it is not selling.
With the window ticking toward its deadline and De Zerbi openly calling for that final attacking piece, the next move in this saga will reveal just how serious Tottenham, City and Arsenal really are about Ndiaye – and how high they are prepared to climb toward that £80 million cliff edge.
